


Soon You'll Get Better

by Watermelonsmellinfellon



Series: Ineffable Husbands Oneshots [2]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Children's Hospitals, Crowley Loves Kids (Good Omens), Feels, Fluff, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), Light Angst, M/M, Miracles, Post-Apocalypse, Song Lyrics, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-26 22:37:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20397292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Watermelonsmellinfellon/pseuds/Watermelonsmellinfellon
Summary: Crowley visits children's hospitals weekly and brings Aziraphale with him this time.





	Soon You'll Get Better

**Author's Note:**

> -So Taylor Swift wrote a song about her mom's battle with cancer and as someone who's lost family and pets to cancer it hit me hard and got me thinking. I came up with this oneshot while listening to it on repeat last night and bawling. The link to the music is provided where the lyrics are.
> 
> -I love Crowley caring about kids. I have feels.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Good Omens.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. [HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/).**

* * *

For the past few decades - time raising Warlock Dowling and preventing Armageddout aside - Crowley had made it perfectly clear that he was always busy between one and three in the afternoon every day of the work week. Rarely did he come around at those times and wouldn't answer his mobile if Aziraphale called him for whatever reason.

The angel knew this and had simply accepted it as a quirk of Crowley's. Privately he imagined the demon was turning into a snake and lounging somewhere in his overheated flat because that was a cute image and it made Aziraphale happy. He liked it when Crowley was a snake.

He'd never tell Crowley of course, what with the dear's dislike of '_four-letter descriptors_' and all.

Now though, with the world not ended and everything seemingly back to normal if a little different than before, Crowley had returned to that odd schedule of his. And then he'd come to the shop around six either for drinks and philosophizing or to take Azirapahle out to dinner somewhere extravagant and watch him eat like a lovesick fool. Depended on the day and the weather.

He hadn't questioned the demon's insistence that this ritual be followed as strictly as before.

That didn't mean he wasn't curious.

So when Crowley managed to offer through gritted teeth and a red face for the angel to join him, he'd agreed. Aziraphale had noted Crowley's openness since they'd successfully fooled Heaven and Hell. To those who didn't know him they'd think he was clammed up worse than a mollusc. But compared to how he used to be, he was practically writing out his thoughts on his brow these days.

"Okay, there are rules for where we're going," the demon said sternly, shoulders tight with tension that worried Aziraphale a little. He hadn't been like that in months. "Miracle yourself cleaner than ever before. If asked to wear a face mask and gloves, just do it. Don't show pity; no one wants that in these situations."

And then the maddening driving came to an abrupt stop in front of a massive, white and blue building. The sign that stuck out the most to him said, **[ST. ANTHONY'S CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF LONDON]**.

A glance at Crowley showed him retrieving a large, purple and pink polka-dotted bag from the backseat. "Come on then."

Not even ten seconds in the door and the men and women behind the secretary desk in the lobby brightened in recognition.

"_Anthony_," one older woman practically sighed in relief, looking tired.

Without hesitating, Crowley held up the bag he'd brought along, and it was quickly retrieved by a young man with hair the color of sea water and bright green eyes. "You're a saint," he said earnestly, making the demon fidget.

Crowley never took compliments very well, especially four-lettered ones. Still, it was a bit shocking to see someone other than Aziraphale treating the demon so well. And it made him think about the name of the hospital as well. Curious.

"This is my partner, Ezra Fell. Is it alright to go up?" asked the demon.

They were waved toward the lifts. Crowley lead the way.

Everything was colourful and happy despite the place in question typically not being a place where happy people resided. There were drawings taped to the walls and handmade cards strung up around the ceiling. Stamps and stickers of Disney characters littered the doors. Children of varying ages in various states of wellness were everywhere. Some with family and others with health care professionals.

Crowely didn't hesitate in the lift, pressing the button for the 7th Floor. "Rainbow Bridge" he explained quietly. "Looks as you would expect with a name like that. Terminal patients end up here and when it nears _that_ time they spend their last days in the Rainbow Rooms in the best comfort possible, getting whatever they want to make it easier."

Being on Earth for six thousand years had hardened Aziraphale somewhat to tragedy, but he still didn't like thinking about it or hearing about it. Especially where children were involved. He was an angel. By definition he was a being of love and care and had never handled suffering of anyone very well.

And Crowley was very similar, except he was doing that thing where he pretended he was okay and unaffected. Same thing happened in the 14th Century and during WWII. He _really_ hadn't liked those periods of time because of all the death and sorrow.

"The humans call it the Rainbow Bridge because God favoured the rainbow as a sign of promise and peace, so instead of making a stairway to heaven…"

They had made a pretty bridge of a promise of eternal peace.

And it was pretty indeed. The colours and furniture easily masked the purpose of what the floor was meant for. The walls bore rainbow stripes while the floor was covered in paint splatters. Glitter everywhere. The ceiling was a perfect, blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Something not often seen with London weather.

Once again, Crowley was recognised easily and welcomed with relief.

"How is the Evans family?" the demon asked once he reached the nurse's station.

The young man - his name card said he was called 'Brent' - at the desk, beamed. "As if by some miracle, Dahlia's strength returned and her energy increased. And a last minute X-Ray showed that the tumors were shrinking! She's been moved back down to the 2nd Floor and if this continues she'll be out by the end of the month."

And Crowley smiled. A smile he didn't often get because he didn't like showing such emotions in public. But it was one Aziraphale loved to see.

"And who would you say is in the most critical state this week?"

A frown. "We have Room 7 and Room 13."

"Okay. This is my partner. He might be coming along with me in the future."

Aziraphale shook the human's hand and smiled softly at him. "Ezra Fell. It's a pleasure to meet you, young man."

"Any friend of Anthony's is a friend of ours, sir."

First-name basis was pretty important in any social situation and the fact that Crowley welcomed it was telling.

Room 7's door was wide open and revealed a solemn scene with a very young child asleep in a bed connected to tubes and wires as their family sat around them. From a small mobile sat on a table on the far side of the room, came the heart-wrenching tones of a young woman singing over an acoustic guitar.

[ _In doctor's office lighting, I didn't tell you I was scared._ ](https://youtu.be/tMoW5G5LU08)  
_ That was the first time we were there. _  
_ Holy orange bottles, each night, I pray to you._  
_ Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too._  
_ And I say to you..._  
_ Ooh-ah, soon, you'll get better._  
_ Ooh-ah, soon, you'll get better._  
_ Ooh-ah, you'll get better soon. _  
_ 'Cause you have to._

It was a lot to take in emotionally as one of the women looked up with teary eyes and gave a half-hearted wave.

The sad music continued on and they all remained quiet until it finished on a somber note.

"What's been happening?" Crowley asked.

For several minutes, the first woman 'Sherry' and her wife 'Donna', explained how things had been seemingly okay and then what had been a year shortened to a couple days unexpectedly. The cancer has spread suddenly and no one had any explanation for it. It was looking to be a dreadful week. Their youngest son hadn't had any energy to get up that morning and could barely stay awake long enough to eat. He was deathly thin.

Crowley knew the child. He knew every family member and introduced Aziraphale accordingly. The angel was welcomed with teary smiles in an attempt to be respectful.

And then, just then, Crowley laid a gentle hand on the boy's brow and Aziraphale could feel the miracle as it happened. The power gathering and then dispersing as quickly. It took less than a second, but he wasn't oblivious to what it meant. He wouldn't bring it up until they left but it had his mind in a whirl.

Half an hour of talking and Aziraphale performing a Blessing of his own for the family's future, saw them leaving for Room 13.

It was much the same there as well. An ill child, a heartbroken family, and a Blessing done in secret.

The familiarity between the demon and the humans meant this was a normal thing. A recurring thing between them. Just how long had he been doing this?

After Floor 7, they moved toward Floor 4. The terminal but hopeful children. And they all liked 'Tony' as they called him. Smiling faces, some unaware of their predicament and others aware but resigned, gathering around and asked questions in rapid succession. And there Crowley was stood, keeping up easily.

One of the nurses nearby sighed and smiled. "Mr. Crowley brought some gifts for movie night. What do we say?"

"Thank you, Tony!" the kids cheered obediently.

"What are they?" one little girl asked from behind a massive stuffed snake she was holding.

"You'll just have to wait for movie night, won't you?" Crowley teased with an easy grin, getting a round of giggles.

No wonder he'd been so good at taking care of Warlock. He'd had decades of practice in handling children that made him the perfect nanny. Aziraphale was impressed.

And besotted. Crowley and children was a great thing. His biggest weakness since the very Beginning even. His compassion for children had never died.

Even with the numerous assertions that he was 'evil' despite hating 'four-letter descriptors', he'd never truly managed to be evil. Crowley's version of evil was crashing phone lines, gluing six pence pieces to the pavement, and writing fake parking tickets to scare people. He didn't have an evil bone in his lanky body no matter how much he tried.

It was charming.

It wasn't until they were back in the lift, that Aziraphale broke the silence between them. "That was very sweet of you."

A hum was Crowley's response as he nodded to the secretaries when the doors opened for them. The oldest one bustled over to affix little angel wing pins to their lapels and pat their cheeks. "You're such sweet boys." If only she knew how much older than her they were.

Crowley didn't even try to remove his pin as they left. Seemed a bit resigned to keeping it on.

"How long have you been doing this truly?" asked the angel the moment they were back in the Bentley, earning a sigh.

"So long that I've become an urban legend. Every Children's Hospital in London is simply aware of the fact that a Mr. Anthony J. Crowley has been stopping by at the same scheduled time dating back to the decades each of them opened. Some records were destroyed but word of mouth is a thing and by now it's just accepted that I haven't aged in a very long time and that after every time I visit, a select few children that have slipped into the critical stages find themselves miraculously cured of whatever ailed them a week or so later. This one was re-named after me."

It was astonishing. Aziraphale spent ages blessing his favourite haunts and sending prosperity in the direction of the restaurant owners he favoured, and Crowley spent ages healing children all over London and making their lives just better overall. Getting to know their families personally.

He could feel the love. The children had been so excited to see 'Tony' and loved him. He'd always been soft for kids after all. As an angel he'd always been able to feel the positive emotions of everyone around him. It'd taken him a while to understand that he wasn't just surrounded by love and that its source was Crowley whenever he was around, but he knew better now.

If he didn't already fancy his long-time best friend, this day would have completely rendered him besotted with no chance of going back to what they were before.

"I love you." He poured every bit of his love into the declaration, wanting Crowley to feel it more than anything. They didn't say it often enough but the feeling was certainly there.

There was a moment of silence as Crowley looked out the windshield. And then, a single tear dropped from beneath his sunglasses, and a low sniffle sounded.

"Crowley?"

A deep breath and another tear.

"Dear, what's wrong?" Aziraphale asked, placing a hand on the demon's shoulder.

A sigh. "I'm just one being… and I can't be everywhere at once. And it isn't fair 'cause they're just kids. I'm impressive but there's only so much I can do."

Oh, Crowley.

"Dear, no one expects you to cure the world of illness. Such a mass scale miracle would be too much for us to do. There are six billion more humans than angels and demons combined. I sincerely doubt God Herself is angry that you can't do more. Especially when, as a demon, you aren't even expected to do good deeds to begin."

"'M'not doing _good_," the demon insisted almost petulantly. "I'm making people have to do extra paperwork. I'm terribly rotten." The tears stopped thankfully.

"Of course you are, dear. The most terrible demon there is."

He placed a kiss on the demon's cheek and reached up to run his fingers through the red hair that he was growing out again. Crowley liked it when he did that just as much as Aziraphale did.

"Want to go to the Ritz?"

"How about we stay home tonight?" suggested Aziraphale. "I can make devil's food cake."

"What is it with your obsessions with the bloody confections?" Though he sounded annoyed there was a smile on his face as he started the Bentley and pulled into traffic without even bothering to look! Aziraphale's pulse did somersaults in response.

"I like sweets." His heart might as well have grown three sizes that day.

Crowley reply was a soft, "I know, angel." He grabbed Aziraphale's hand and held it the entire time it took to get back to the shop.

It was a nice day.

* * *

**A/N: Finished!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

**See ya! :D**

**Author's Note:**

> CHECK OUT MY MANY OTHER GOOD OMENS FICS! ^-^


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